Cruel: Chained up in South Haven, Michigan
Monday, February 25th, 2008
Dogs deserve better, originally uploaded by FrancescaM.
This poor guy belongs to a family that lives behind my in-laws’ property in South Haven, Michigan. The family moved in about a year ago and this dog has been chained up outside ever since. It breaks my heart to see him out there. Anyone familiar with the weather in Michigan knows that it can be quite inhospitable; in the summer, temperatures can reach almost 100F degrees, and in the winter this city on the shores of Lake Michigan gets buried under several inches of snow at a time and experiences frequent sub-zero temperatures. Rarely have I seen this dog’s humans come outside to feed the dog, give him water, or spend any time with him. Really, what’s the point of having a dog then? I’ve called the Van Buren County Animal Control more than once. I was told that the responding investigator spoke to the owner, and witnessed that the dog had shelter and food and water. The dog’s “shelter” consists of a small dog house, and his bowls must be inside the dog house because I’ve never seen them. Once I saw the owner come outside and throw slices of bread at the dog. Late last summer, the dog had an open, gaping wound behind his ear that went untreated. He seems like a friendly enough dog. Every time I am outside or Soprano goes out, he just sits there and watches intently. Or, he starts barking and whining, then crying. It’s gotten to the point where I don’t even want to go up to the house in South Haven anymore because I can’t bear to see this dog.
I’m going to place another call to the Van Buren County Animal Control and if anyone is in the area, or even nowhere near the area, and would like to make a call on behalf of this dog, the number is (269) 621-4624. Email me at francesca underscore maz at yahoo dot com and I’ll give you the dog’s exact location.
